Call Us Today6 Benefits of Geothermal Systems
When it comes to heating and cooling your home, technology has given us many options to choose from. In the opinion of Hoff Heating & AC, arguably one of the most unique and intriguing options is a geothermal system. These systems are wonderfully efficient and help to keep your O’Fallon, MO, home comfortable year-round.
Since geothermal systems can be quite a significant investment, though, it’s important to understand the benefits you’ll receive before you commit to installing one in your home. To help you understand if a geothermal system is right for you, here are six perks that make a geothermal system worth considering.
What Is a Geothermal System?
Before we move any further, it’s important to understand just what a geothermal system is. A geothermal system uses a looped pipe that is placed deep in the ground underneath your home. Above ground, a compressor works to move fluid in this pipe down to a depth where the temperature stays at a constant 55 degrees year-round. This constant temperature is important because it is almost always warmer or cooler than 55 degrees above ground.
In the summer, when it’s warmer than 55 degrees, your heat pump can remove heat from your home and send it underground, where it’s absorbed by the surrounding rock and soil. In the winter, when it’s colder than 55 degrees, your geothermal system can collect heat from below ground and pump it up into your home to help keep you comfortable.
Since energy is only being transferred instead of changed in form, it requires less electricity to heat and cool your home using this method. With this explanation in mind, then, you can begin to see some of the benefits of a geothermal system. Here are the benefits in more detail, in no particular order.
1. Energy-Efficiency
Keeping your home at a comfortable temperature with a traditional HVAC system from Hoff Heating & AC can take a lot of energy. That’s because a typical HVAC system has to change the temperature of the air by quite a lot in order to reach the desired temperature. To take the example of an air conditioner, the HVAC system has to both compress and expand the refrigerant a significant amount to be able to absorb heat from your home and expel it outside.
When it comes to a geothermal system, though, most of the temperature change is done by a passive source that requires no energy input. This means you’re only basically paying for the electricity to move the fluid around to collect the energy that’s already there.
2. Quiet
If you’ve ever had an outdoor gathering interrupted by the sound of the air conditioner compressor firing up, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how quiet a geothermal system can be. Geothermal systems installed by Hoff Heating & AC don’t require an outdoor compressor and condenser because the heat that is extracted from the house is expelled underground instead of outside.
This also means you won’t have to try and hide that monstrous outdoor air conditioning unit, as it simply doesn’t exist with a geothermal system. Add to that the indoor components, which can operate more quietly thanks to the largely passive energy transfer, and you end up with a very quiet system.
3. Low-Maintenance
Although we at Hoff Heating & AC are proud to help you maintain your HVAC system, we understand that you want a system that’s as low-maintenance as possible. If you’re looking for low maintenance, then a geothermal system should be at the top of your list. One reason that geothermal systems require less maintenance is that there is no outdoor unit, meaning no part of your system is ever exposed to the elements.
Given the complex nature of installing the underground pipe, this portion of your system is built to last, meaning almost no maintenance and a system that will last for decades. Plus, with fewer moving parts, there is less to break down and cause an interruption in your heating and cooling.
4. Safe
One common concern of owners of furnaces powered by natural gas is carbon monoxide poisoning. Though a good carbon monoxide detector can greatly reduce the risk posed by carbon monoxide, the risk is still real. If you use a geothermal system, however, this risk is a thing of the past.
Remember, the heat in a geothermal system is simply being transferred from the ground to your home, meaning no outside energy is required for the increase in temperature to occur. This means no natural gas is needed during the winter, creating a worry-free system that will provide exceptional peace of mind.
5. They Provide Hot Water
In addition to heating your home, your geothermal system can be used to heat your water. With the proper connections, a geothermal system can be used to transfer heat to your hot water heater, providing an extremely energy-efficient way of creating unlimited hot water that’s always ready to go.
Rather than go to the expense of installing a tankless water heater, which is another option to provide limitless hot water, you can simply take advantage of your investment in your geothermal system to provide plenty of hot water and help you save on your utility bills.
6. They Can Pay for Themselves
One thing we hear at Hoff Heating & AC when it comes to geothermal systems is that people are concerned about how much a system will cost. However, though the initial cost is higher than a typical HVAC system, a geothermal system will pay for itself in a very short time.
This is because you receive the energy-efficient benefits from a geothermal system year-round, meaning you can enjoy savings on every utility bill. Since geothermal systems can, in some cases, lower your utility bill by up to 70 percent, a geothermal system can often pay for itself in just three to five years. When you consider the longer lifespan of a geothermal system, this is truly astonishing.
Knowledge Needed
The most important aspect of a geothermal installation is that you really need someone who knows what they’re doing. After all, large pipes are being installed deep underground on your property, and your entire HVAC system is being redone.
You want to be sure that this is all done correctly so that you can fully realize the many benefits of a geothermal system. Fortunately, when you choose Hoff Heating & AC for your geothermal installation, you can be confident that you will receive knowledgeable service, from beginning to end.
We pride ourselves on staying up to date on the latest advancements in the HVAC industry, meaning we can apply the best techniques to make your project a complete success. Of course, if you need repairs or maintenance completed on a traditional HVAC system, we can assist you with that, as well. We can also install new HVAC systems, including ductless mini-split systems that can help you save energy compared to a central system.
A family-owned company, Hoff Heating & AC has been serving this community for nearly 40 years. We know that you have a choice when it comes to HVAC service, which is why we strive to go above and beyond to meet your needs. This commitment has resulted in an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and an Angie’s List Super Service Award. Plus, we are proud to be involved with Habitat for Humanity and Lennox’s Heat Up Missouri program. For a company, you can trust with your HVAC needs, give Hoff Heating & AC a call today.
